Adjusting mechanism



3 Sheets-Sheet 1 ,umu

H. w. NIEMAN ADJUSTING MEcHANIsM Filed Jan. 14, 1932 Nov. 5, 1935.

Nov. 5, 1935. H. w. NIEMAN 2,019,792

ADJUSTING MEcHANlsM Filed Jan. 14, 1932 3 Sheets-Sheetl 3 Pi 'IM l "Lai A Patented Nov. 5, 1935 PATENT oFFicE AnJUs'rnvG MEcnAmsM Henry W. Nieman, Bethlehem, Pa., assignor to Bethlehem Steel Company, a corporation of Pennsylvania Application January 14, 1932, Serial No. 588,551

3 Claims.

This invention relates to adjusting mechanisms a valve actuating mechanism will act quietly and without destructive jar if the parts are accurately adjusted so that the valve is firmly seated when l the cam roller is in contact with the circular portion of the cam and no slackness exists in any of the parts.

In the present invention this correct relationship is maintained by adjustments made automatically so that firm closure and quiet operation are alway attained.

The novel features will be more fully understood from the following description and claims taken with the drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is an elevation, partly in section, of one embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 1a is a modified detail of the mechanism of Fig. l.

Fig. 2 is an elevation, partly in section, of a second embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 3 is an elevation of portions of an adjacent pair of units of this second embodiment with interconnecting parts.

Figs. 4 and 5 are details of the mechanism of Fis. 3.

Figs. 6 and 7 are a plan and an elevation, both partly in section, of a third embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 1 shows diagrammatically some of the principles involved. Here II is a valve held against seat I2 by the pressure of valve spring I3. Rocker arm I4, rods I5 and I6 and roller I1 transmit thrust from cam I8 to the valve for opening the latter. Between rods I5 and I6 is interposed the adjusting mechanism which comprises plate I9, fastened to the end of rod I5 by pivot 20. wedge 2l and palette 22, the latter rigidly fastened to the end of rod I6. Compression spring 23 acting between the thick end of the wedge and arm 24 which is a portion of palette 22 tends to force the wedge forward to increase the space between the plate and palette. This spring is very weak compared with valve spring I3. Elongated bearing 25 guides rod I6 and prevents any sidewise movement thereof. Adjusting link attached to plate I9 by pivot 21 is acted upon at the pivot 2l by external mechanism not here shown and serves to slide the plate back and forth over the face of the wedge.

When cam I8 revolves the raised portion 29 will 5 force roller I'l upward and this motion will be transmitted through the linkage to depress and open valve I I, the wedge being of such acute angle that its friction against the top and bottom members will prevent sliding and cause it to act as a 10 rigid transmission member.

Wedge 2i forced inward by spring 23 prevents play developing in the linkage system at any time and keeps all the actuating parts under a small but definite stress. If, on the other hand, when 15 roller Il is riding on the circular portion of the cam as shown in the figure, valve II is slightly open, the pressure of the valve spring will come on the rocker arm and vertical rod I5 and exert a downward force on plate I9. Under these con- 20 ditions, if plate I9 is moved to the right or left by link 26, slippage must occur between either the top or bottom surfaces of the wedge. Assuming that the two surfaces of the wedge have the same coefficient of friction, if the plate is moved to the 25 right slippage must occur along the top face of the wedge, since the downward pressure on plate I9 exerts a component to prevent slippage up hill on the sloping face of palette 22. If the movement is to the left slippage will occur along the 30 bottom face of the wedge since the component of the downward pressure on the .plate now acts to aid slippage on this plane. As the wedge slips down the plane, the distance between plate and palette is lessened and valve I I is allowed to seat. 35 After this has been accomplished, further movement of the plate to the left results in slippage along the top plane of the wedge, since there is no longer any downward pressure from the valve spring and the light spring 23 is then sufficient to v40 prevent movement between wedge and palette. If the valve is not seated the net result of a right and left motion of the plate is to shorten the linkage, allow the valve to seat, and leave the system at the end in a condition free from slack. This 45 mechanism, therefore, will act as an automatic adjustment if arrangements are made to impart a slight back and forth motion to plate I9 at frequent intervals during periods when the valve is closed.

Fig. 1a represents a mcdication of the mechanism shown in Fig. I. Here similar parts are designated by thesame numbers as in Fig. 1. In this' case rod I5a terminates in pivot 20a upon which is rotatably mounted disk Illa. Circular wedge 55 2|a engages with the periphery of this disk and with the cylindrically formed upper surface of palette 22a fixed to rod |6a. Spring 23a acts between arm 24a an extension from palette'22a and wedge 2 I a. Disk |9a is pivoted to link 25a at 21a so that a right and left motion imparted to the end 28a of this link will cause an oscillation of the disk about the pivot a. It is obvious that this arrangement is equivalent to the straight wedge of Fig. 1 and the action is similar in every respect.

Fig. 2 represents a more compact construction as a substitute for the wedge and associated members of Fig. 1. Here I4' is the rocker arm, |5' and I6 are vertical rods connecting the end of the rocker arm with roller l1' riding on cam I8'. Rod I6' terminates at its upper end in the steep pitch screw 22', engaged by member 2| which comprises the threaded sleeve portion 32' and the annular seat 3|. Rod |5' terminates at its lower end in disk I9' which rests on seat 3|' of member 2|' and is centered in relation to this latter member by a cylindrical extension on its bottom face. Rod I6' is free to slide vertically in guide 25' but is held from rotation by key 33'. Torsion spring 23' surrounds the sleeve portion of member 2|' and is fastened at its end to pegs and 24', the former rigid with member 2|', the latter with rod I6', the action of this spring being to exert a torque between members -I6' and 2|' in such direction as to tend to cause member 2|' to travel upwardly on screw 22'. By means of adjusting arm 26' a back and forth rotation may be imparted to rod |5' by external mechanism, the upper end of this rod terminating in a ball 34' to permit such rotation as well as the rocking motion accompanying the opening and closing of the valve.

The action of this mechanism is in every way equivalent to that of Fig. 1, the similarly numbered parts performing in general equivalent functions except that rotations here take the place of translational movements of thewedge parts of Fig. 1. In a direct upward push from the cam roller the mechanism will act as a rigid transmission element, the screw being prevented from backing oi by the friction in the threads and between members 2|' and I9', it being assumed that at this time arm 26 although free to move upward is held against rotation. At all times a definite amount of tightness in the linkage system and stress in the parts is maintained by spring 23', through its action in twisting and unscrewing sleeve 2|'. If on the other hand the pressure of the valve spring is on the system and a slight back and forth movement is imparted to arm 2G', member 2| will back of! by rotation on the screw. Under these conditions a movement of arm 26 forward (out of the plane of the paper) will cause a slip to take place at the threads, while the opposite movement will cause slippage between members I9' and 2|', the net result of a 'forward and back movement being a recession of member 2 I along the screw.

It is obvious that to cause an oscillation of arm 26', or a right and left movement of link 26, during the interval when the valve is closed, suitable connections might be made to almost any moving part of the engine. One method of doing this is shown in Figs. 3-5 in which connections are madev between the inlet and outlet valve gears of a single cylinder, so that the movement which causes one of these valves to open and close, simultaneously causes an oscillation of the adjusting arm of the other valve. I6', I9', 2|',

23', I5' and 26' are members of the valve gear of one valve, these numbers referring to the same parts as in Fig. 2, while I6", I9", 2|", 23", I5" and 26"- are the corresponding members of the other of the pair of valves associated with one 5 cylinder of an engine. Adjusting arms 26 and 26" carry arcuate plates 35' and 35". These plates are slotted as shown in Fig. 5 with slots of width to permit the passage through them of the opposing adjusting arms. Fig. 4 shows clearly 10 how the arms and plates interlock with each other. From Fig. 5 it will be observed that slot 36" in plate 35", which is identical with the corresponding slot in plate consists of two inclined portions 31" and 38", the upper portion 15 31" making an angle with the vertical axis, shown by thedot and dash line, about twice as great as the angle between the lower portion 38", and this axis. Fig. 5 represents the relative positions of arms 26' and 26" when both valves are 20 closed. When the right hand valve is opened arm 26 and plate 35' rise, arm 26' traversing the upper portion of the slot in plate 35" while arm 26" traverses the lower portion of the slot in plate 35'. When the left hand valve opens 25 arm 25" traverses the upper portion of the slot in plate 35' while arm 26' traverses the lower portion of the slot in plate 35". Now these slots are so cut that the arm of whichever valve opens `moves up land down without rotation while the 30 arm of the other valve is rotated through a small angle, in one direction on the upward stroke of the opening valve and back to its initial angular position on the downward stroke, the exact shape of the slots to bring about this result being found 35 in any given case by calculation. A pair of rocker arms and associated mechanisms as shown in Fig. 2 interconnected as shown in Fig. 3 constitutes the complete apparatus for adjusting one pair of valves. o A mechanism working on similar principles but applied in a different location is shown in Fig. 6. Here and 5D' are a pair of rocker arms actuating the valves 5| and 5|'. The actuating mechanism for the valves comprises cams, cam rollers, 5 andvalve rods transmitting the motions from the cam rollers to the ends 52 and 52' of the rocker arms. The opposite ends of these arms 53 and 53' contact with the ends of the valve stems 54 and 54'A and depress these to open the respective 50 valves, all of this mechanism being of the conventional type common in internal combustion engines. The pivots of the rocker arms in this case, however, are provided with automatic adjustments for the purposes above described. From 55 thetop of the engine frame three projecting lugs 55, 55 and 55 serve as bearings for the rocker arm pivots 51 and 51. These are identical and a description of one of them with its associated parts will serve for both. Pivot 51 is provided 00 with two cylindrical bearing portions 58 and 59 and with the bearing portion 60, also cylindrical but eccentric to the other two. Bearing portions 58 and 59 are supported by and are free to rotate in apertures of the lugs 55 and 56. Sleeve 6I fits 65 on bearing portion 60 and rocker arm 50 ilts on sleeveil, both of these lits being such as to allow free rotation. Sleeve 6I carries adjusting arm 62zwhich is slotted and engages with pin 64 projecting from rocker arm 50' from which arrange- 70 ment it follows that each oscillation of rocker arm 5D' causes an equal oscillation of sleeve 6| on bearing portion 60. Pivot 51 is bored to receive spring 63 which exerts a torsional force between lpin 65, llxed in lug 55 and pin 64 xed in pivot 51, 15

this torsional force being in such direction as to tend to cause the bulging side of eccentric 50 to move downward, carrying with it sleeve 6I and rocker arm 50.

With theabove described construction it is obvious that at all times a definite amount of tightness in the linkage system and stress in the parts is maintained by the action of spring 63 in rotating pivot 51 and depressing the central bearing of rocker arm 50. The throw of the eccentric 60 is small and the bearing surfaces between the eccentric and sleeve and between the pivot-portions 58 and 59 and the inside bearing surfaces in lugs 55 and 56 in which these pivot portions are free to revolve, are so large in diameter that the pivot Will be held by friction against the rotational tendency of a direct thrust from the rocker arm. Thus when therocker arm oscillates due to movements of the cam roller the pivot acts as a rigid member, it being borne in mind that at this time sleeve 5| is prevented from rotation since rocker arm 50' is then at rest. If

now a condition arises where the valve does not completely close, the pressure of the valve spring will be on the linkage system after the rocker arm 50 has made its oscillation Now during the period of rest of this valve, rocker arm 50 makes its stroke to open the other valve, and the oscillation of this rocker arm imparts a like oscillation to sleeve 6I. The action of this is to relieve the stress in the system in the same manner as has been describedv for the other mechanisms. On the opening stroke of valve 5I pin 64 moves downward carrying with it arm 62 and sleeve 6|. 'I'his causes a slip between this sleeve and rocker arm 50 which is at rest and necessitates also a slip either between the sleeve and the bearing portion or between vthe bearing portions 58 and 59 and the interior bearing surfaces of lugs 55 and 56 into which these bearing portions flt. Since the pressure of the valve spring on the system exerts a component tending to revolve the eccentric, the pivot will revolve as a whole, the` slip occurring between the bearing portions 58 and 59 and their seats. This will either completely or partially relieve the stress in the system due -to the valve spring. As valve 5l' closes, pin 64 moves upward and slip now occurs between the eccentric and the sleeve, since rotation of the pivot as a whole is now prevented by the component of the upward thrust of the valve spring which is still present or will come into play as soon as the pivot begins to revolve. It is assumed in this reasoning that spring 63 'is relatively weak compared with the valve spring, and can only act to revolve the pivot in the absence of more powerful forces.

In such a construction it is important that proper relations be maintained between the pressure of the valve spring and spring B3 and that the diameters of the bearing and eccentric portions of the pivot, and the throw of the eccentric be properly proportioned. The actual friction between parts depends on the materials used and varies in service so that the proper design can 5 only be determined by practical tests for each specic case.

Having thus described my in/vention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: 10

l. In an engine, a pair of valves, a rod member for each of said valves, adapted to transmit actuating forces for opening said valves, each of said rod members having a friction surface, a wedge member for each of said rod members, having a 15 plurality of friction surfaces, one of said friction surfaces engaging the aforesaid friction surface, a plate member for each of said wedge members having a friction surface engaging another of said friction surfaces oi said wedge member form- 20 ing a common contact surface, each portion of said contact surface being disposed normal to the component of said actuating force transmitted through that portion, and operating connections effective to cause movement of said plate member 25 upon said wedge member of each of said valves upon longitudinal motion of the rod member of the other of said valves.

2. In an engine, a pair of valves, a rod member for each of said valves, adapted to transmit lon- 30 gitudinal motions, each of said rod members having a threaded portion, a sleeve member engaging each of said threaded portions, each of said sleeve members having a friction surface, a plate member for each of said sleeve members having a friction surface engaging the aforesaid friction surface of said sleeve member forming a common contact surface, each portion of said contact surface being disposed normal to the component of said actuating force transmitted through that 40 portion and operating connections effective to cause rotation of the said plate member of each of said valves upon longitudinal motion of the rod memberof the other of said valves.

3. In a valve operating mechanism, a series of 45 members for transmitting an actuating force for opening said valve, including a plate member, a sleeve member rotatably engaging said plate member along a first bearing surface, each portion of said surface being disposed normal to the 50 component of said actuating force transmitted through that portion, a threaded member rotatably engaging said sleeve member along a helical bearing surface,y resilient means acting on said sleeve member to resist the rotational tendency 55 caused by the transmission of the actuating force through said helical bearing surface, and means for causing a rotary oscillation of said plate mem`\ ber during periods when the valve is closed.

HENRY W. NIEMAN. 

